Diksha Sundriyal
Apple TV+’s ‘The Lost Bus’ stars Matthew McConaughey as bus driver Kevin McKay, who receives an unexpected responsibility of evacuating about two dozen schoolchildren to a safe place. The challenge is the raging wildfire that appears to have consumed several towns, and the chaos on the streets makes navigating it even more difficult. Fortunately, Kevin does not have to shoulder this responsibility alone. He has the support of Mary Ludwig, the school teacher, who does everything from keeping the children calm to dousing the fire when it reaches the bus, among other things. She took on this task in real life as well.
Mary Ludwig was Instrumental in Saving the Lives of 22 Children
The second-youngest of ten siblings, Mary Ludwig was born and raised in Paradise, California. Her father worked as a teacher at Biggs Elementary, and she followed in his footsteps. She began teaching around the district in 1994, married a man from the same town, and relocated to Chico for five years before returning to Paradise, where she wanted to live away from the noise and chaos of the city. On November 8, 2018, when the wildfire broke out, taking over several towns in the county, Mary followed protocol. Most of the children were sent back home with their parents, but 22 children were still left behind because their parents were unable to arrive on time. So, a bus was called to escort them to a safer location.
According to Lizzie Johnson’s nonfiction book, ‘Paradise,’ on which the Apple TV+ movie is based, Mary had planned to get the children on the bus and then drive herself to her car so that she could pick up her own teenage son and her daughter, who worked at Kmart. However, when Kevin McKay arrived with the bus, he told her to come on board because he needed someone to look after the children while he drove. Initially, Mary was reluctant to get on the bus, but then she realised that if her children were in the same situation, she would want a teacher on board. So, she got on the bus, joined by another teacher, Abbie Davis.
With Abbie and Kevin’s help, Mary kept the children calm while maintaining her own composure. When she saw the children getting dehydrated and on the verge of falling sick due to the heat, she got off the bus to find water for them, despite the danger posed by the surroundings. After spending five hours in the bus as it inched through 30 miles, mostly stuck in traffic, with fire raging on both sides of the road, Mary, Abbie, Kevin, and the children made it out safely. There were times when she thought they wouldn’t make it, but in the end, everything turned out well. She credited Kevin McKay with getting everyone to safety, calling him “the bus driver from heaven.”
Related
Mary Ludwig Continues to be a Respected School Teacher Today
Mary Ludwig, now in her late 50s, lives in Paradise, California. She works as a teacher at Paradise Ridge Elementary School. Following the 2018 Camp Fire, her family and friends advised her to move away from the town, but she decided to stay and teach because the education of her students had already suffered enough. Fortunately, her house survived the fire, and her family was also safe. However, leaving the memories of that fateful day behind was not that easy. She revealed that she suffered from PTSD, which would be triggered when she smelled smoke and got a phone call. In 2020, when wildfires raged through California again, she didn’t waste any time. She immediately evacuated to a safer location with her then-boyfriend, Ludwig, and her son.
Mary said she could never “be trapped like that again” and that nothing was worth her and her son’s lives. For her heroic efforts, she was awarded the 2019 Heroes of the California Wildfires award by the American Red Cross Greater New York Region. She shared it with Kevin McKay and Abbie Davis, in addition to Allyn Pierce. To support her, her friends started a Mary Ludwig Camp Fire Fund, which received generous donations from the townsfolk, who expressed their love and gratitude for her actions. Following the fire, Mary appeared on various news channels and programs to talk about her experience on the bus. She also appeared in the 2019 short documentary, ‘Fire in Paradise.’
Mary spoke with Lizzie Johnson when the author began working on her book about the fires. She also welcomed America Ferrera when the actress was revealed to be playing her role in Paul Greengrass’ movie. To the residents of Paradise, she is known as a friendly and warm person, renowned for her affection for friends and family, as well as her kindness to strangers. Her reputation as a good person is rivalled only by her dedication to her job as a teacher. Mary is known for being a creative lesson planner and an enthusiastic educator. As for her personal life, she prefers to keep it out of the public eye.
You must be logged in to post a comment.